02840 leans heavily Democratic by roughly 48 points: about 74% of voters vote Democratic and 26% Republican. These figures are model estimates: Rhode Island did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the numbers above come from demographic and health features rather than local ground truth.
About 58% of adults in 02840 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 02840, ~43% vote Democratic, ~15% Republican, and ~42% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 02840 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 02840 is the most Democratic-leaning.
02840 runs about 34 points more Democratic than Rhode Island as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by block within 02840. The east side is the most Democratic-leaning (D+59) and the north side is the least Democratic-leaning (D+38), a spread of about 21 points.
Why 02840 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 02840, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Areas with high college attainment vote Democratic. About 56% of adults in 02840 hold a bachelor's degree, about 28 points above the U.S. average of 28%. A high never-married share predicts Democratic voting, and about 46% of adults in 02840 have never been married, above 93% of zip codes.
Population density and Democratic lean
Places with high population density tend to lean Democratic; 02840, RI sits in the top tenth nationally on this measure.
Why turnout in 02840 looks the way it does
Renters vote less often than owners. About 49% of households in 02840 rent, about 24 points above the U.S. average of 25%. Strong routine healthcare access lines up with higher turnout, and 02840 sits in the top quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Rhode Island Board of Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. RI did not have precinct-level voting records available for training, so the figures here come from extrapolation across demographic, health, and land-use features rather than local ground truth. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.